


Swallow

by dannyvhs (PepsiRabbit)



Category: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon, Suicidal Thoughts, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 22:46:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29500149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PepsiRabbit/pseuds/dannyvhs
Summary: Quentin tries to seek solace in the water, but not even the water can wash him clean of the memories.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Swallow

**Author's Note:**

> I've fallen so in love with this movie and I wanted to do a little exploration into Quentin post-movie. Sorry this is shorter than my normal work. I'll have something a bit longer later when I'm not swamped with work.
> 
> Enjoy!

With one swift jump, the water swallowed him up whole. Slowly, his body sunk down to the bottom as he pulled his knees to his chest allowing himself to sink. Quentin settled at the bottom of the pool like a stone. Every now and again a few bubbles would float away from him to the top. He watched them rise and disappear. Water had always been his escape from life’s problems, but not even the water could wash away the memories. He was dirtied, tainted, constantly burned from the pain and no amount of water or medicine could remove it.

How could he be expected to just move on and forget? Not only were the memories of his childhood haunting enough to fuck a person up, but death had looked him right in the eye. Quentin tried his hardest to forget. He swam more, threw himself into his studies, stayed out late, but it all would come back to the forefront of his mind once he was confronted by his own bed. What had once been a safe haven now felt like the ruins of a battlefield that Quentin wanted to avoid. 

He was gone, but he still lingered. 

Quentin still didn’t sleep. He continued to chug energy drinks, listen to loud music, do anything possible to keep from falling asleep. He tried not to let it show just how exhausted he was whenever he was around Nancy, but it was likely she already knew. He had no idea how Nancy felt about the whole affair, but he assumed she was in a very similar situation as he was. She just was better at hiding it it seemed. Perhaps she was able to sleep in the end. After all, they were safe now and no longer were threatened. However, Quentin still found himself trapped in endless nightmares. He would always find himself in that horrible place hearing the grinding of metal claws against the chalkboard. 

In a way, Quentin almost wished that his dreams were real again. At least then he could perhaps do something. He felt so helpless now. The nightmares felt like movies playing on a loop that he couldn’t turn off. Each dream felt painfully real, but there was enough detachment that Quentin could instantly know that it truly was only a dream coming from his traumatized brain. That knowledge didn’t stop his screams in the night, however. It didn’t stop the blinding fear he felt whenever Freddy cornered him, running his claws slowly down Quentin’s chest. It didn’t stop the tears and the horrible pain in his chest.

Quentin had fought that night to live and to protect Nancy, but now as he sat at the bottom of the school’s swimming pool the recurring thoughts of suicide began to form. He could swallow the water right now and be rid of all this. It would be by his own choice after all and not by the revenge of his past abuser. Many times Quentin had thought of swallowing the entire bottle of pills. If he ended his life, he wouldn’t have to suffer with these memories and nightmares anymore. 

Quentin would finally be able to sleep.

But what would happen to Nancy?

What if he returned?

Quentin felt his lungs begin to burn from the lack of oxygen. He shut his eyes trying to block out the feeling. He wanted this all to be over with. He didn’t want to suffer anymore. He wanted to be able to sleep in peace again, to be able to close his eyes without seeing him, to forget it all. If he just held his breath a little more..

Quentin’s instincts kicked in overriding his thoughts. He uncurled and swam back up to the surface taking in a large gasp of air once he breached. He swam over to the edge of the pool and pulled off his goggles as the flood of emotion began to pour out. He gripped the side tightly as he cried. He would never be able to wash himself clean of Krueger’s actions. The scars that ran across his chest would always be a permanent reminder of what he did to him. What he did to them. He had been marked as one of Krueger’s children and Quentin wanted nothing more than to tear off the skin and make those marks disappear. 

He just wanted this all to go away.

But he’d never forget Fred Krueger.


End file.
